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Do we need a symbol for a central open vowel?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 December 2008

William J. Barry  and
Jürgen Trouvain
William J. Barry
Affiliation:
Institute of Phonetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, [email protected], [email protected]
Jürgen Trouvain
Affiliation:
Institute of Phonetics, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, [email protected], [email protected]
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Abstract

The present discussion re-opens an old issue that was ‘officially discussed’ in Kiel in 1989 but has not been offered for debate in the wider phonetic community. It is argued that there is a logical and practical gap in the present IPA vowel chart. The lack of a central open vowel is unsatisfactory, in particular because more languages have a single open vowel with an apparently more central than fronted or backed quality. Arguments and suggestions for a number of alternative solutions to the problem are presented for discussion.

Type
The International Phonetic Alphabet
Information
Journal of the International Phonetic Association , Volume 38 , Issue 3 , December 2008 , pp. 349 - 357
Copyright
Copyright © Journal of the International Phonetic Association 2008

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